Wichita eagle., 1887-03-01
FROM CALIFORNIA.

To the Editor Of the Eagle
, suppose several of your valuable read
ers would like to hear something from tn
Pacific coast. l am writing these few
lines on the Pacific steamship Santa Rosa
in company with E. P. Ford, Fred Ford
W. D. Smith, E. p Hutchinson We tool
the train at Los Angeles at $40 g. M, ant
arrived at San Pedro Bay about II q. m
{ Here we took the smaller steamship which
: took us out two miles to the steamship
, Santa Rosa; at noon We had fine dinner
and during our dinner, the steamer lifted
: its anchor and we steamed slowly through
the blue waters Of the Pacific coast. Of
to the right few miles we can see the is
land Of Santa Catalina. and still further te
the southwest in the back ground you can
see the island of San Clemente. On our
voyage We saw two whales, several large
fish, which the boys called corjune, many
sea birds, and We had splendid trip, nice
sunshiny days and ocean pretty still. In the
harbor of San Pedro vessel
was wrecked and laying against
the rocks neary covered with water.
Arriving at San Diego at Sp. m. In my
next letter will give you description of
San Diego and surroundings Going back
to Los Angeles in all of my travel l find
Los Angeles very narrow crooked street,
and muddy town. Nine business houses
out of ten are saloons or hotels. Charges
in hotels are very extravagent. South of
town the country is very low and plenty
OF alkall land which you can buy from $40
| to $50 per acre. Laud near town up north
to PASADENA in the orange grove belt, you
can purchase the groves at from $3.50 to
81 900 per acre, according to the improve
ments and age of your grove In the back
ground of the PASADENA or Glendale valley
you look up to the mountain peaks covel-
ed with snow. The atmosphere is cold and
damp at night. This is no place for rheu
maiic persons. l say stay away from Cali
fornia, look for dryer climate. Kansas
is far better to cure rheumatism
than California. There is not less than
twenty five miles square of additions laid
out in lots around Los Angeles. Every
man who had little farm or patch of ground
has laid it out in town lots. and all the ma
tives are laughing about how they draw in
the suckers and jayhawkers to buy 5000
acre land. said to one gentleman Your
lands do not bring reasonable percentage
of income; it is not worth over 800 per
acre. Orange groves are not sure to bear
every year." "Well, he said. I'VE know
that, but health and climate we get No
where is such climate as there is in South
ern California. l told him l supposed
they were selling the climate find Il
mistake for consumptive people to come to
California for their health: The nights
are too cool | would prefer tie surround
lngs of Colorado Springs, COL, as
a better place than any of Southern Cal
ifornia. Further. Los Angeles has no such
building boom as Wichita Give me
and Kansas for me, it is the better
place for poor men. The towns here are
all overtiled with poor laboring people
The Chinese take the place of domestic
servants and farm laborers. or railroad
labOrers have talked with u carpenter
from Winfield, Kansas He has been out
here two years aud he said he was going
back to Kansas. So l can name dozen
more. will agree if parties have capital
enough to live on his interest this is proba-
bly, good country, for fruits and vegeta-
bles you get for nearly nothing A Chinee
will furnish vegetables for a whole month
for So. l for one will stay with Wichita
and make money aud good living, and for
climate, California can not compare with
southern Kansas climate. Kansas climate
is clear and healthy, and California climate
is damp and unhealthy, except you go in the
south side Of the high mountain peaks.
Close to the gulf you get in the fog
do not like the dram shop Ruino us,
ragged low down drinking characters on
the street. profane language used. people a
great many uncultivaied, Mexicans, Chi
ne e. negroes Italians; SpaniardS and all
Of the old world repr esened
IN Sunday. Stores open all Sunday. Oh,
go away with California now in mine, |
am satisfied with Wichita
You must excuse me. am writing these
lines on the steamship Santa Rosa steam
ing on the Pacific ocean, going up and
down the waves. Next time more.
Your obedient servant,
Z. A REIMAN.